Apparatus and method for feeding a material web to a machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for feeding a material web to a machine positioned downstream of the apparatus includes a base defining an axis in a lateral direction of the base. A first roller assembly is rotatably coupled to the base at a first roller position substantially parallel with the axis and is configured to feed a first roll of material web to the machine. The first roll has a lead edge and a tail edge. A second roller assembly is rotatably coupled to the base at a second roller position substantially parallel with the axis. The second roller assembly is configured to feed a second roll of material web to the machine. The second roll has a lead edge and a tail edge. The second roll is substantially aligned in the lateral direction with the first roll. A splicing table is suspended with respect to the base. The material web advances from the first roll or the second roll and across the splicing table to the machine. A stop bar coupled to the splicing table is movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. In the locked position, the stop bar locks the material web against the splicing table.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for feedinga material web to a machine and, more particularly, to an apparatus andmethod for coupling a lead edge of a replacement roll of material web toa tail edge of a depleted running roll of material web.

During high speed wrapping processes, a running roll of materialincluding a continuous line of printed or unprinted material web is feedto a machine for wrapping a product or a product container. In someconventional processes, when the running roll of material needsreplenishing, the machine operation is shut down for a substantialperiod of time to remove the expired running roll and position thereplacement roll with respect to the machine. Other conventionalprocesses remove the expired running roll and strip all the materialfrom the machine and then position a replacement roll and rethread themachine or splice a lead edge of a replacement roll of material with atail edge of the expiring running roll. Many such conventional processesattach a splicing tape or adhesive material to one or both of the tailedge of the running roll and the lead edge of the replacement roll toattach the rolls. Such conventional processes also require shut-down ofthe machine operation for a substantial period of time to accuratelyregister the lead edge of the replacement roll with the tail edge of therunning roll. Further, a substantial amount of wasted or discardedmaterial may result from such conventional processes, which furtheradversely affects productivity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, an apparatus for feeding a material web to a machinepositioned downstream of the apparatus is provided. The apparatusincludes a base that defines an axis in a lateral direction of the base.A first roller assembly is rotatably coupled to the base at a firstroller position substantially parallel with the axis. The first rollerassembly is configured to feed a first roll of material web to themachine. The first roll of material web has a lead edge and a tail edge.A second roller assembly is rotatably coupled to the base at a secondroller position substantially parallel with the axis. The second rollerassembly is configured to feed a second roll of material web to themachine. The second roll of material web has a lead edge and a tailedge. The second roll of material web is substantially aligned in thelateral direction with the first roll of material web. A splicing tableis suspended with respect to the base. The material web advances fromthe first roll or the second roll and across the splicing table to themachine. A stop bar is coupled to the splicing table. The stop bar ismovable between an unlocked position and a locked position. In thelocked position, the stop bar locks the material web against thesplicing table.

In another aspect, an apparatus for feeding a material web to a machinepositioned downstream of the apparatus is provided. The apparatusincludes a base. A first roller assembly is rotatably coupled to thebase at a first roller position. The first roller assembly is configuredto feed a first roll of material web to the machine. The first roll ofmaterial web has a lead edge and a tail edge. A second roller assemblyis rotatably coupled to the base at a second roller position. The secondroller assembly is configured to feed a second roll of material web tothe machine. The second roll of material web has a lead edge and a tailedge. The second roll of material web is substantially aligned with thefirst roll of material web. A splicing table including a work panel ispositioned over the base. The material web advances from the first rollor the second roll and across the work panel to the machine. A firsteject mechanism is pivotally coupled to the base. With the lead edge ofthe second roll of material web spliced to the tail edge of the firstroll of material web, the first eject mechanism is pivotally movablewith respect to the first roller position for removing the first rollerassembly from the first roller position. A second eject mechanism ispivotally coupled to the base. With the first roller assembly removedfrom the first roller position, the second eject mechanism is pivotallymovable with respect to the second roller position for advancing thesecond roller assembly from the second roller position to the firstroller position.

In another aspect, a method for supplying a material web to a machine isprovided. The method includes providing a first roll of material webfrom a first roller assembly. The first roller assembly is rotatablycoupled to a base at a first roller position. The first roll of materialweb has a lead edge and a tail edge. The material web is advanced acrossa splicing table. The material web is cut near the tail edge of thefirst roll for coupling with a lead edge of a second roll of materialweb. The second roll of material is provided from a second rollerassembly that is rotatably coupled to the base at a second rollerposition. The lead edge of the second roll of material web is coupled tothe tail edge with the second roll of material web substantially alignedwith the first roll of material web in a lateral direction defined bythe base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary apparatus for feeding amaterial web to a machine positioned downstream of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the exemplary apparatusshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the exemplary apparatusshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an exemplary apparatus for feeding a materialweb to a machine positioned downstream of the apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of the exemplary apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for feeding amaterial web to a machine positioned downstream of the apparatus. Thepresent invention is described below in reference to its application inconnection with and operation of an apparatus for feeding a running rollof a material web including a continuous web of printed or non-printedmaterial coupled in a serial configuration from a running roll supportedby a support stand. The support stand also supports a replacement rollof the material web including a continuous line of material web coupledin a serial configuration. With the running roll material webrequirement fulfilled or the roll depleted of the material web, aportion extending from a lead edge of the replacement roll is spliced toa portion extending from a tail edge of the running roll to provide acontinuous line of printed or non-printed material web from thereplacement roll to the machine. It will be apparent to those skilled inthe art and guided by the teachings herein provided that the inventionis likewise applicable to any apparatus and/or method for feedingsuitable packaging and/or wrapping materials.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an apparatus 10 for feeding a material web 12 toa machine 14 positioned downstream of apparatus 10 is provided.Apparatus 10 is positioned or mounted at any suitable angle with respectto the machine, such as parallel, diagonal or perpendicular to themachine. Further, apparatus 10 is positioned or mounted above, below,behind or in front of the machine. Apparatus 10 includes a support stand18 having a base 20 made of a suitable material, such as steel, forproviding adequate support and strength to apparatus 10. In oneembodiment, base 20 defines an axis 21 in a lateral direction of base20. A first roller assembly 22 is rotatably coupled to base 20 at afirst or forward roller position 24, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. In aparticular embodiment, first roller position 24 is substantiallyparallel with axis 21. Roller assembly 22 is configured to feed a firstroll 26 of the material web to the machine.

Referring further to FIG. 2, in one embodiment roller assembly 22includes a shaft 28 that defines a first end 30 and a laterally opposingsecond end 32 of roller assembly 22. First end 30 and second end 32 areeach positionable within a corresponding indentation formed in base 20.In a particular embodiment, first end 30 and second end 32 are eachpositionable within a guide 34 (shown in FIG. 4) mounted to base 20 forfacilitating rotating roller assembly 22 to feed the material web to themachine. First end 30 and second end 32 are each retained within acorresponding guide 34 such that shaft 28 rotates with respect to atleast one rotatable member 36, such as a cam follower, a bearing or awheel, of each guide 34 to feed the material web to the machine. Asshown in FIG. 2, roller assembly 22 also includes a pair of cooperatingcollars or chucks 38 that are coupled to respective ends 30, 32 tomaintain first roll 26 properly positioned about shaft 28 in a lateraldirection with respect to axis 21 and aligned with an input of themachine (not shown) as the material web is fed to the machine. In oneembodiment, each chuck 38 forms an angled or chamfered inner surface forfacilitating maintaining first roll 26 properly positioned about shaft28 and/or for facilitating a continuous feed of the material web to themachine.

A second roller assembly 42 is rotatably coupled to base 20 at a secondor rearward roller position 44 with respect to first roller position 24,as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. In one embodiment, second roller position 44is substantially parallel with axis 21 and first roller position 24.Second roller assembly 42 is configured to feed a second roll 46 of thematerial web to the machine. In this embodiment, second roll 46 issubstantially aligned in the lateral direction with first roll 26. Withsecond roll 46 substantially aligned with first roll 26, a portionextending from a lead edge of second roll 46 is coupled to a portionextending from a tail edge of first roll 26 for facilitating minimizingmachine shut-down time required to replace depleted or partiallydepleted first roll 26 and/or an amount of material web wasted ordiscarded during the replacement processes. First roller assembly 22including depleted or partially depleted first roll 26 is then removedfrom first roller position 24 and second roller assembly 42 includingreplacement second roll 46 is moved from second roller position 44 tofirst roller positioned 24 as apparatus 10 feeds the material web fromsecond roll 46 to the machine.

Referring further to FIGS. 2 and 5, in one embodiment roller assembly 42includes a shaft 48 that defines a first end 50 and a laterally opposingsecond end 52 of roller assembly 42. First end 50 and second end 52 areeach positionable within a corresponding indentation formed in base 20.In one embodiment, first end 50 and second end 52 are each positionablewithin a guide 54 mounted to base 20 (as shown in FIG. 4) forfacilitating rotating roller assembly 42 to feed the material web to themachine. First end 50 and second end 52 are each retained within acorresponding guide 54 such that shaft 48 rotates with respect to atleast one rotatable member 56, such as a cam follower, a bearing or awheel, of each guide 54 to feed the material web to the machine. Asshown in FIGS. 2 and 5, roller assembly 42 also includes a pair ofcooperating collars or chucks 58 that are coupled to respective ends 50,52 to maintain second roll 46 properly positioned about shaft 48 andaligned with an input of the machine (not shown) as the material web ispulled by the machine from apparatus 10. In one embodiment, each chuck58 forms an angled or chamfered inner surface 59, as shown in FIG. 5,for facilitating maintaining second roll 46 properly positioned aboutshaft 48 and/or for facilitating a continuous feed of the material webto the machine.

In one embodiment, apparatus 10 includes a first eject mechanism 60pivotally coupled to base 20, as shown in FIG. 2. Eject mechanism 60 ispivotally movable with respect to first roller position 24 to remove oreject first roller assembly 22 from first roller position 24, forexample when the material web is depleted or partially depleted fromfirst roll 26. As shown in FIG. 2, eject mechanism 60 includes a handleor pedal 61 operatively coupled to cooperating lever members 62 that arepositionable with respect to respective end 30, 32 of shaft 28 byactuation of pedal 61. Upon actuation of pedal 61, lever member 62 movestowards and generally parallel to respective end 30, 32 to engagerespective end 30, 32 and lift shaft 28 from first roller position 24.In one embodiment, each lever member 62 forms or includes a lip portion64 that engages shaft 28. With shaft 28 removed from within first rollerposition 24, depleted or partially depleted first roller assembly 22 isdiscarded to a catch tray 66 positioned with respect to first rollerposition 24. In one embodiment, catch tray 66 is mounted to base 20, asshown in FIG. 2. It is apparent to those skilled in the art and guidedby the teachings herein provided that first roller assembly 22 may beremoved from within first roller position 24 as desired with anyquantity of material web remaining, i.e., first roller assembly 22 maybe completely depleted, partially depleted or full.

In one embodiment, apparatus 10 also includes a second eject mechanism70 pivotally coupled to base 20, as shown in FIG. 2. Eject mechanism 70is pivotally movable with respect to second roller position 44 to removeor eject second roller assembly 42 from second roller position 44 andadvance second roller assembly 42 to first roller position 24 afterfirst roller assembly 22 has been ejected from first roller position 24.As shown in FIG. 2, eject mechanism 70 includes a pedal 71 operativelycoupled to cooperating lever members 72 that are positionable withrespect to respective end 50, 52 of shaft 48 by actuation of pedal 71.Upon actuation of pedal 71, lever member 72 moves toward and generallyparallel to respective end 50, 52 to engage shaft 48 to lift shaft 48from second roller position 44 and advance second roller assembly 42 tofirst roller position 24. In one embodiment, each lever member 72 formsor includes a lip portion 74 that engages shaft 48. With second rollerassembly 42 removed from within second roller position 44, a thirdroller assembly (not shown) including a replacement roll of the materialweb is positioned within second roller position 44.

As described above, in one embodiment first eject mechanism 60 andsecond eject mechanism 70 are actuated manually to eject first rollerassembly 22 from first roller position 24 and eject second rollerassembly 42 from second roller positioned 44, respectively. In analternative embodiment, a controller (not shown) is coupled to firsteject mechanism 60 and/or second eject mechanism 70 to initiate ejectingfirst roller assembly 22 and/or second roller assembly 44, respectively.The controller may be coupled to first eject mechanism 60 and/or secondeject mechanism 70 using any suitable electrically, hydraulically,pneumatically, and/or mechanically counterweighted coupling component orany combination therein. It is apparent to those skilled in the art andguided by the teachings herein provided that other suitable mechanismsfor initiating ejection of first roller assembly 22 and/or second rollerassembly 44 can be used to discard, transfer and/or replace the rollerassemblies of the present invention. Further, in one embodiment firsteject mechanism 60 and/or second eject mechanism 70 are actuated duringoperation of apparatus 10, e.g., as apparatus 10 feeds the material webto the machine.

Apparatus 10 includes a splicing table 80 positioned with respect tobase 20. In one embodiment, splicing table 80 is suspended over at leasta portion of base 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-5. In this embodiment,frame members 82 extend from opposing sides of support stand 18 and arecoupled to respective sides of splicing table 80. Frame members 82 arecoupled to an upstream end 84 of splicing table 80, as shown in FIG. 1,and/or frame members 82 are coupled to a downstream end 85 of splicingtable 80, as shown in FIG. 4.

In one embodiment, splicing table 80 includes a work panel 86 that isfabricated of a suitable transparent material, such as a Lexan®polycarbonate resin material available from General Electric Company,located at 1 River Road in Schenectady, N.Y. The Lexan® polycarbonateresin material exhibits suitable impact strength for applicationsassociated with splicing table 80 and provides a transparent surface forviewing components of apparatus 10 during the splicing process, asdescribed in greater detail below. In a particular embodiment, a lightis mounted with respect to splicing table 80, such as underneathsplicing table 80, to enhance the material web for pattern alignment. Itis apparent to those skilled in the art and guided by the teachingsherein provided that other suitable materials having sufficient impactstrength may used to fabricate splicing table 80 and/or work panel 86.

The material web advances from first roll 26 or second roll 46 andacross splicing table 80 to the machine, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Inthis embodiment, the material web advances across splicing table 80 fromupstream end 84 to downstream end 85 in a machine direction representedby directional arrow 87 in FIG. 1. A cross-machine directionsubstantially perpendicular to the machine direction is represented bydirectional arrow 88 in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, a first roller 89 ispositioned at upstream end 84 and/or a second roller 90 is positioned atdownstream end 85 for facilitating advancing the material web acrosswork panel 86. In a particular embodiment, according to a machine infeedheight, roller 90 is mounted within a corresponding hole of a pluralityof holes and/or a second roller (not shown) is mounted above roller 90.First roller 89 and/or second roller 90 may include any suitablemechanism known to those skilled in the art and guided by the teachingsherein provided for facilitating feeding the material web across workpanel 86 and into the machine positioned downstream.

A stop bar 92 is coupled to splicing table 80. In one embodiment, stopbar 92 is pivotally mounted with respect to splicing table 80 to extendin the cross-machine direction along a width of work panel 86. In analternative embodiment, stop bar 92 is housed within a guillotinehousing and movable in a generally vertical direction with respect towork panel 86. Stop bar 92 is movable between an unlocked position, asshown in FIG. 3, and a locked position. Stop bar 92 is activated to moveusing a suitable electrically, hydraulically, pneumatically, and/ormechanically counterweighted component or any combination therein. It isapparent to those skilled in the art and guided by the teachings hereinprovided that other suitable components and/or mechanisms for activatingstop bar 92 can be used in the present invention.

In the unlocked position, the material web is allowed to move betweenstop bar 92 and work panel 86 without stop bar 92 preventing or limitingmovement of the material web across work panel 86. Stop bar 92 ismovable from the unlocked position to the locked position, wherein stopbar 92 locks and/or maintains the material web against a top surface 93of work panel 86 for facilitating splicing of a lead edge of areplacement roll of material web with a tail edge of a running roll ofmaterial web, as described in greater detail below. In a particularembodiment, a strip 95 of a resilient material, such as a rubbermaterial or other suitably resilient material known in the art, iscoupled to stop bar 92 for facilitating maintaining the material webbetween stop bar 92 and work panel 86 with stop bar 92 in the lockedposition. In an alternative embodiment, stop bar 92 includes a rollermade of a rubber material or other suitably resilient material known inthe art.

In an alternative embodiment, apparatus 10 includes an eccentric brakeroll 94, as shown in FIG. 4, which locks or maintains the material webagainst a top surface 93 of work panel 86 for facilitating splicing of alead edge of a replacement roll of material web with a tail edge of arunning roll of material web. In one embodiment, a slot 96 is cut in topsurface 93 in the cross-machine direction for facilitating cutting orforming the tail edge of first roll 26.

In one embodiment, apparatus 10 includes a staging bar 98 positionedwith respect to splicing table 80. As shown in FIG. 3, staging bar 98 ismounted at upstream end 84 of splicing table 80 and is configured totemporarily hold a lead edge of the material web from second roll 46until second roll 46 is spliced with first roll 26. In one embodiment,at least a portion or surface of staging bar 98 is coated with amaterial for facilitating temporarily coupling the lead edge of secondroll 46 to staging bar 98. In an alternative embodiment, the lead edgeof second roll 46 is temporarily coupled to staging bar 98 using asuitable coupler including, without limitation, an adhesive tape and/ora clip, or the lead edge is draped over staging bar 98.

In one embodiment, a method for supplying a material web to a machine isprovided. First roll 26 of material web is provided from first rollerassembly 22. First roller assembly 22 is rotatably coupled to base 20 ofapparatus 10 at first roller position 24 substantially parallel withaxis 21. The material web is provided by first roll 26 and advancedacross work panel 86 to the machine. When the first roll 26 of thematerial web is depleted or approaches depletion or an allotted quantityof the material web is consumed, a tail edge of the material web is cutor formed. To facilitate forming the tail edge and/or splicing thereplacement roll of the material web to the running roll of the materialweb, stop bar 92 is moved from the unlocked position to the lockedposition. In the locked position, stop bar 92 locks and/or maintains thematerial web from first roll 26 against top surface 93 of work panel 86and the material web is cut at a designated position on first roll 26.In one embodiment, the material web is cut at or near the tail edge ofthe material web from first roll 26 for coupling with the lead edge ofthe material web from second roll 46. In one embodiment, a utility knifeis used to cut the material web in the cross-machine direction alongslot 96 formed in top surface 93 of work panel 86.

In one embodiment, a lead edge of second roll 46 is temporarily stagedat staging bar 98 prior to cutting the tail edge of first roll 26.Second roll 46 is provided by second roller assembly 42 positioned atsecond roller position 44, which is substantially parallel with axis 21and first roller position 24. In this embodiment, second roll 46 issubstantially aligned in the lateral direction with first roll 26. Withsecond roll 46 substantially aligned in the lateral direction with firstroll 26, the lead edge of the material web from second roll 46 is thencoupled to the tail edge of the material web from first roll 26 using asuitable adhesive tape or a sealer, such as a manual or automaticelectric or compression sealer.

In one embodiment, a portion extending from the lead edge is coupled toa portion extending from the tail edge using an adhesive material, suchas an adhesive tape, double-sided tape or glue applied to the lead edgeand/or the tail edge. In a particular embodiment, at least one markformed on the lead edge of second roll 46 is aligned with acorresponding mark formed on the tail edge of first roll 26. In thisembodiment, a full or partial pattern on the tail edge of first roll 26is overlapped and aligned with a full or partial pattern on the leadedge of second roll 46. By overlapping a full or partial pattern of thetail edge of first roll 26 with a full or partial pattern on the leadedge of second roll 46, the material web from second roll 46 isprecisely registered with the material web from first roll 26. Thisembodiment is particularly useful in precisely registering transparentmaterial webs, such as material webs fabricated of a polymeric filmmaterial. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art and guidedby the teachings herein provided that other suitable material webs, suchas transparent, semi-transparent or generally opaque material webs maybe registered with apparatus 10. After coupling the lead edge to thetail edge, stop bar 92 is moved from the locked position to the unlockedposition and the material web from second roll 46 is advanced throughsplicing table 80 and into the machine.

First roller assembly 22 with fully depleted or partially depleted firstroll 26 is removed or ejected from first roller position 24 after thelead edge of the material web from second roll 46 is coupled to the tailedge of the material web from first roll 26. In one embodiment, firstroller assembly 22 is removed from first roller position 24 by pivotallymoving first eject mechanism 60, pivotally coupled to base 20 withrespect to first roller position 24. In a particular embodiment, firstroller assembly 22 is removed from first roller position 24 as apparatus10 feeds the material web from second roll 46 to the machine. Ejectmechanism 60 includes pedal 61 and cooperating lever members 62 that arepositionable with respect to shaft 28 by actuation of pedal 61. Uponactuation of pedal 61, lever member 62 moves towards and parallel toends 30, 32 to engage shaft 28 and lift first roller assembly 22 fromfirst roller position 24. In this embodiment, each lever member 62 formsor includes a lip portion 64 that engages shaft 28 to lift shaft 28. Inan alternative embodiment, eject mechanism 60 includes a handle thatcooperates with level members 62 to lift shaft 28. With first rollerassembly 22 removed from within first roller position 24, fully depletedor partially depleted first roller assembly 22 is discarded to catchtray 66.

With first roller assembly 22 removed from first roller position 24,second roller assembly 42 is removed or ejected from second rollerposition 44 and advanced to first roller position 24 by pivotally movingsecond eject mechanism 70, pivotally coupled to base 20 with respect tosecond roller position 44. In a particular embodiment, second rollerassembly 42 is moved from second roller position 44 to first rollerposition 24 as apparatus 10 feeds the material web from second roll 46to the machine. Eject mechanism 70 is pivotally movable with respect tosecond roller position 44 to remove or eject second roll 46 from secondroller position 44 and advance second roll 46 to first roller position24. As shown in FIG. 2, eject mechanism 70 includes pedal 71 andcooperating lever members 72 that are positionable with respect torespective end 50, 52 of shaft 48 by actuation of pedal 71. Uponactuation of pedal 71, lever member 72 moves towards and parallel torespective end 50, 52 to engage shaft 48 and lift second roller assembly42 from second roller position 44 and advance second roller assembly 42to first roller position 24. In one embodiment, each lever member 72forms or includes a lip portion 74 that engages shaft 48 to lift shaft48. In an alternative embodiment, eject mechanism 70 includes a handlethat cooperates with level members 72 to lift shaft 48. With secondroller assembly 42 removed from within second roller position 44, athird roller assembly (not shown) including a replacement roll of thematerial web is positioned within second roller position 44.

The above-described apparatus and method for feeding a material web to amachine positioned downstream of the apparatus minimizes machineshut-down time and/or wasted material web required to couple areplacement roll of material web with a depleted running roll ofmaterial web. More specifically, with the running roll partially orfully depleted of the material web, a lead edge of the replacement rollsubstantially aligned with the depleted running roll is overlapped withand coupled to a tail edge of the running roll to provide the materialweb from the replacement roll to the machine. The transparent splicingtable allows the user to position a portion of the replacement materialweb over a portion of the material web of the running roll and align thepatterns (if any). The pre-taped replacement lead edge is couple to thetail edge of the running roll. With the replacement roll positioned on ashaft mounted in the apparatus and a clean lead edge staged on thestaging bar, the material web from the replacement roll is easilycoupled to a clean tail edge of the running roll. Thus, the apparatusand method of the present invention increases productivity by providingan efficient and effective apparatus and method for coupling rolls ofthe material web.

Exemplary embodiments of an apparatus and method for feeding a materialweb to a machine positioned downstream of the apparatus are describedabove in detail. The apparatus and method are not limited to thespecific embodiments described herein, but rather, components of theapparatus and/or steps of the method may be utilized independently andseparately from other components and/or steps described herein. Further,the described apparatus components and/or method steps can also bedefined in, or used in combination with, other apparatus and/or methods,and are not limited to practice with only the apparatus and method asdescribed herein.

While the invention has been described in terms of various specificembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of theclaims.

1. An apparatus for feeding a material web to a machine positioneddownstream of the apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a base definingan axis in a lateral direction of the base; a first roller assemblyrotatably coupled to the base at a first roller position substantiallyparallel with the axis, the first roller assembly configured to feed afirst roll of material web to the machine, the first roll of materialweb having a lead edge and a tail edge; a second roller assemblyrotatably coupled to the base at a second roller position substantiallyparallel with the axis, the second roller assembly configured to feed asecond roll of material web to the machine, the second roll of materialweb having a lead edge and a tail edge, the second roll of material websubstantially aligned in the lateral direction with the first roll ofmaterial web; a splicing table suspended with respect to the base, thematerial web advancing from one of the first roll and the second rolland across the splicing table to the machine; and a stop bar coupled tothe splicing table, the stop bar movable between an unlocked positionand a locked position, in the locked position the stop bar locking thematerial web against the splicing table.
 2. An apparatus in accordancewith claim 1 further comprising a first eject mechanism pivotallycoupled to the base, the first eject mechanism pivotally movable withrespect to the first roller position for removing the first rollerassembly from the first roller position.
 3. An apparatus in accordancewith claim 2 further comprising a second eject mechanism pivotallycoupled to the base, the second eject mechanism pivotally movable withrespect to the second roller position for advancing the second rollerassembly from the second roller position to the first roller position.4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein each of the firsteject mechanism and the second eject mechanism are actuated with theapparatus feeding the material web to the machine.
 5. An apparatus inaccordance with claim 2 wherein, with the lead edge of the second rollof material web overlapped with the tail edge of the first roll ofmaterial web and the second roll of material web coupled to the firstroll of material web, the first eject mechanism is actuated for removingthe first roller assembly from the first roller position.
 6. Anapparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein, with the first rollerassembly removed from the first roller position, the second ejectmechanism is actuated for moving the second roller assembly from thesecond roller position to the first roller position.
 7. An apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 further comprising a staging bar positioned withrespect to the splicing table, the staging bar configured to hold thelead edge of the second roll.
 8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1wherein the first roller assembly defines a first end and an opposingsecond end, each of the first end and the second end positionable withina corresponding guide mounted to the base for facilitating rotating thefirst roller assembly for feeding the material web to the machine.
 9. Anapparatus in accordance with claim 8 further comprising a first chuckcoupled to the first end and a second chuck coupled to the second end,the first roll positioned between the first chuck and the second chuckfor facilitating alignment of the material web with an input of themachine.
 10. An apparatus for feeding a material web to a machinepositioned downstream of the apparatus, the apparatus comprising: abase; a first roller assembly rotatably coupled to the base at a firstroller position, the first roller assembly configured to feed a firstroll of material web to the machine, the first roll of material webhaving a lead edge and a tail edge; a second roller assembly rotatablycoupled to the base at a second roller position, the second rollerassembly configured to feed a second roll of material web to themachine, the second roll of material web having a lead edge and a tailedge, the second roll of material web substantially aligned with thefirst roll of material web; a splicing table including a work panelpositioned over the base, the material web advancing from one of thefirst roll and the second roll and across the work panel to the machine;a first eject mechanism pivotally coupled to the base and, with the leadedge of the second roll of material web overlapping the tail edge of thefirst roll of material web and the second roll of material web coupledto the first roll of material web, the first eject mechanism pivotallymovable with respect to the first roller position for removing the firstroller assembly from the first roller position; and a second ejectmechanism pivotally coupled to the base and, with the first rollerassembly removed from the first roller position, the second ejectmechanism pivotally movable with respect to the second roller positionfor advancing the second roller assembly from the second roller positionto the first roller position.
 11. An apparatus in accordance with claim10 wherein the base defines an axis in a lateral direction of the base,each of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly coupledto the base substantially parallel with the axis, the first roll ofmaterial web substantially aligned in the lateral direction with thesecond roll of material web.
 12. An apparatus in accordance with claim10 further comprising a stop bar coupled to the splicing table, the stopbar movable between an unlocked position and a locked position, in thelocked position the stop bar locking the material web against the workpanel.
 13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10 further comprising astaging bar positioned with respect to the splicing table, the stagingbar configured to hold the lead edge of the material web from the secondroll.
 14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein the firstroller assembly defines a first end and an opposing second end, each ofthe first end and the second end positionable within a correspondingguide mounted to the base for facilitating rotating the first rollerassembly for feeding the material web to the machine.
 15. An apparatusin accordance with claim 14 further comprising a first chuck coupled tothe first end and a second chuck coupled to the second end, the firstroll positioned between the first chuck and the second chuck forfacilitating alignment of the material web with an input of the machine.16. A method for supplying a material web to a machine, the methodcomprising: providing a first roll of material web from a first rollerassembly, the first roller assembly rotatably coupled to a base at afirst roller position, the first roll of material web having a lead edgeand a tail edge; advancing the material web across a splicing table;cutting the material web near the tail edge of the first roll forcoupling with a lead edge of a second roll of material web, the secondroll of material provided from a second roller assembly rotatablycoupled to the base at a second roller position; and coupling the leadedge of the second roll of material web to the tail edge with the leadedge of the second roll of material web overlapping with the tail edge,the second roll of material web substantially aligned with the firstroll of material web in a lateral direction defined by the base.
 17. Amethod in accordance with claim 16 wherein coupling the lead edge of thesecond roll of material web to the tail edge further comprises aligningat least one mark on the lead edge with a corresponding mark on the tailedge.
 18. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein cutting thematerial web near the tail edge of the first roll further comprisesmoving a stop bar coupled to the splicing table between an unlockedposition and a locked position to lock the material web against thesplicing table.
 19. A method in accordance with claim 16 furthercomprising: removing the first roller assembly from the first rollerposition after the lead edge of the second roll of material web iscoupled to the tail edge by moving a first eject mechanism pivotallycoupled to the base and with respect to the first roller position; andadvancing the second roll from the second roller position to the firstroller position by moving a second eject mechanism pivotally coupled tothe base and with respect to the second roller position.
 20. A method inaccordance with claim 16 further comprising staging a lead edge of thematerial web from the second roll on a staging bar positioned withrespect to the splicing table before coupling the lead edge of thesecond roll of material web to the tail edge.